“It was an unusual choice for women to enlist, but I did it because I was bound and determined. Some women were psychologically unable to do it, but I didn’t want to be one of those. I wanted to do what I had to do, which I did.”

Witness to neglect, Bee saves a life

After the war and until she was 84, Bee worked as a massage therapist in her own clinic in North Carolina. She retired not because she didn’t want to work anymore, but because the economy softened for the textile mills business. She lost her clients as a result and now lives in Florida.

As a Christian minister going door to door for the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Bee has seen many pets treated poorly.

“There are so many dogs now that are being abandoned because of the economy. This is serious. I love animals and it breaks my heart when I see certain things. I can’t just believe what people do with their animals, chaining them in a back yard, throwing them a little food, a little water, and that’s it.”

In September of 2010, Bee met and fell in love with Laddie, a four year-old Sheltie, at the Lake City Humane Society. Little did she know that in adopting him, she would be gaining a new shadow.

“Laddie is a beautiful, beautiful dog. Wonderful, obedient, never causes any problems. I am glad I have him. He is a little quiet and quite needy. I don’t know who had him before. He follows me everywhere, no matter where I go, from room to room.”

Bee learned quickly that Laddie is a creature of habit, much like other companion pets.

“Laddie loved to sit with me on this small sofa I had,” Bee says. “When I got rid of the sofa he began pacing in the evening because he didn’t know what to do without his sofa. He looked so disgruntled that I bought a little recliner. When he tried to get up on the recliner with me, on the foot thing, it would flop down every time. The other night he took a running leap and got on my lap. Imagine a big dog on your lap like a lap dog. He is smart. He figured a way to make it up there.”

Bee has had a variety of dogs during her life, including a spaniel/beagle mix that moved with her to Florida. She couldn’t keep him where she was staying and asked her sister if she would take care of him until she found a place where they could move together. As it happened, he was such a wonderful dog that Bee’s sister decided to keep him, even after Bee moved to a pet-friendly residence.

As with most things in life, Bee sees the positive and is happy with the situation. She gets in the car with Laddie, and together they visit her sister and her dog.

“That dog remembers me,” she says, “and stays right there next to me during my visit.”

4 Comments

I have known Bee for over eleven years now and she truly is an angel. It is such a blessing to have true friends in your life. She and I worked together as massage therapists in Gastonia, NC and you can be sure I’ll tell her friends to look up this heartwarming story. You go Bee!! Thanks for all you do.